“I was kind of worried at first I wouldn’t have the right training partners, there wouldn’t be other girls my weight and I didn’t know if I’d be pushed that much, but they’ve definitely done everything for me they can. ... I don’t regret my decision at all,” Laurent said.

Laurent’s coach, Ben Chapman, says he was able to sell the program to his star recruit because just like when she chose wrestling, she gets the opportunity to do something not many can.

“One big reason she came here was to build a program and lay that foundation, leave her legacy by building the program,” Chapman said.

Laurent didn't disappoint, going 27-0 during her freshman season en route to a convincing 12-1 victory via technical fall in the national championship match. Her success is a beacon to other recruits to show the school’s small size won’t prevent them from accomplishing big goals.

“We’re using the success we had this year as a building block to bring more talent and more caliber on Jayden’s level in,” Chapman said. “We want individual national champions, but we want to be team national champions, too, in the next couple years.”

As the No. 1 recruit in the country at 144 pounds coming out of Denmark, Chapman and his staff had extremely high expectations for Laurent before she even competed in her first collegiate match.

“Going into the season we had high hopes for her. We knew the caliber of wrestler she was and that’s the main reason we recruited her so hard,” Chapman said. “We had hopes she’d be a national champ but didn’t want to put the pressure on her, to tell her that.”

Laurent felt the weight all the same.

“It was obviously a lot of pressure having all that spotlight on me and everyone knowing ‘She’s No. 1 in the country, she’s going to do great things,’ and it only makes you work harder,” Laurent said.

She admitted signing on for the program’s inaugural season had other challenges.

“It was definitely difficult at first coming into a first-year program. There’s no upperclassmen to look up to, so I had to be a leader. I knew I was top dog on the team so I had to be a role model for the rest of the girls,” Laurent said.

“In wrestling, I believe you have to have that ‘you’re better than everyone mentality’ to win because it’s you against another person and if you don’t have that, it doesn’t go well for you.”

That confidence was gained by beating boys until the seventh grade, when she transitioned to competing against girls. She continued to dominate after a two-year absence, winning numerous state and national youth titles.

Entering her collegiate career, her confidence for the first time wasn’t as strong as it always had been.

“At the beginning of the year I wasn’t as dominant because I was nervous, I was scared because I was a freshman, but after I started winning it gave me so much more confidenc. I didn’t care I was a freshman. I knew I was better than most of those girls, and the results showed it,” Laurent said.

Laurent’s infectious personality and swagger transferred to her teammates and coaches.

“It got to the point during the season, not to say we expected her to go out and win, but we were very confident if she went out and wrestled to her ability we didn’t think there was anyone in the nation that could touch her,” Chapman said.

Chapman and Laurent credit sheer athletic talent for that ability to dominate.

In addition to wrestling, Laurent was a star on the basketball court. She was named the North Eastern Conference defensive player of the year as a senior.

“Her natural athletic ability is remarkable,” Chapman said. “How things come to her so naturally and the gifts that she has I don’t recall anyone I’ve coached with her athletic ability.”

Laurent, when asked if she had any doubts about her athletic abilities, couldn’t keep a straight face.

“I wouldn’t say so,” Laurent laughed.

Next up for Laurent will be trying to repeat as national champion while attempting to qualify for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Japan.

“The 2020 Olympics is sort of the next step,” Chapman said.

During the last qualifying round, Laurent said she lost to the eventual champion by a narrow decision, so the gap isn't that great.

“I only lost to the girl who got first 3-1, so I feel like I definitely have the opportunity to make the Olympic team next year,” Laurent said.

Chapman’s not too concerned about the standout having a bulls-eye on her back.

“The scary thing is she can still develop and learn a lot more, technical wise, with wrestling, and that’s what exciting for us and scary for her opponents,” Chapman said.

Laurent still possesses the same fearless attitude and love of the sport she had when she was 4, which is not good for anyone meeting her in the middle of the mat.

“It’s definitely scary to think about, and I know I’m going to have people targeting me all the time, but I love that kind of pressure. I tech’d my girl in the final at Nationals and that’s a big gap from all my other opponents, and I’m only going to make it a bigger gap next season.